April 10: The Day of Shattered Skies
Prologue (1983) - This just in: an large unknown sphere of energy destroyed the center of Eurasia! Authorities are scrambling to handle the crisis... (November 15, 1983) - The destruction of central Eurasia has brought total devastation to the Soviet Union and has caused, in what experts have feared, a regional economic collapse to.... - Scientists at NASA are baffled by what happened in Central Eurasia. Many experts have theorized that, whatever caused this massive devastation, would indicate that something is out there. (August 3, 1994) - A massive asteroid, codenamed by the International Astronomical Union as 1986VG1 Ulysses, has broken up into smaller meteors by the same type of energy from 1983. According to predictions by experts, in five years time, over 10,000 smaller meteors will impact the earth. World governments are now scrambling to protect the globe from another major catastrophe. (December 14, 1998) - The Circum-Pacific Allied Forces are now mobilizing troops to help in the evacuation of civilians within the predicted impact sites. In a developing story, the Stonehenge Turret Network is now online in order to shoot down the asteroids. (July 4, 1999) - We are now witnessing the fall of Ulysses live! As you can see here, Stonehenge is now firing! You can hear the loud roar of the cannons firing their...oh, what?! What is that there?! Everyone get down! (July 29, 1999) - Total devastation has happened again as the sudden increase of spacequake activity, followed by the meteor strikes, has brought down the global economy. Refugees are now fleeing from hard-hit areas in droves and now tensions are running to an all-time high. This year, the Spacequake Disaster has brought the planet to an uncertain future. (January 26, 2000) - Tensions are running high between Central Asia and CPAF as the scarcity of natural resources has affected both governments of the two rivals. (April 15, 2000) - Wernher and Noah Enterprises is now proposing a joint solution to help ease the economic fallout from the Spacequake Disaster. Tensions are now lowering and it appears that both governments can rest easily. (May 8, 2015) - A large fire is currently ongoing in the suburbs of the Japanese city of Tenguu. Authorities are now scrambling to contain it. Meanwhile, according to some witnesses, a bright flash of light was reported to have occured within the area. For some experts, there might be a relation between the fire and the recent increase of spacequake activity. The question is: what? Part 1 (April 1, 2020, 0642 hrs. - San Diego, California, United States of America) At a house in the suburbs of San Diego, a sleeping boy was beeing annoyed by his younger sister, who was gleefully jumping over him trying to wake him up. Girl - Wake up, sleepy head! Wake up! Boy - Kotori, you darling little sister of mine? Kotori - What is it, darling big brother of mine? Boy - I have caught the "If i don't sleep for ten minutes, I will tickle my sister to death virus." Run away, Kotori! Run away! Kotori - Why?! Her brother moves in an undead fashion. Then, he pulled the move. Boy - (memacingly) GGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWAAAAAAAWWHHHHH!!! Kotori - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH...!! His sister ran for her life, not knowing that he fooled her. Boy - Much better. The boy's name is Shido Itsuka, who has just happend to be part of the Circum-Pacific Allied Forces' Archangel Squadron. The reason for their stay in America is straightforward: an occupation of their home country of Japan. Sometime in January, a strong force calling themselves, the Refugee Liberation Front, amassed a large invasion force and successfully took control of the mainland, where the siblings' birthplace, Tenguu City, was located. The Itsukas were lucky to have escaped the onslaught thanks to the efforts of the Circum-Pacific Allied Forces' Archangel Squadron, which was ordered to provide cover support for the evacuation. As well, Shido managed to sabotage five of the RLF's tanks, buying him and the others more time to escape. When they reached America, the leader of the same squadron, Daniel Ortara, suggested to his superiors that they should train Shido for pilot duty. Initially, Kotori refused, but after some consideration, she agreed to let Shido be a fighter pilot. Shido, who is now ready to return the favor, went downstairs to prepare breakfast. On the way, he saw his sister, hiding behind a sofa. Kotori - (scared) I don't want to go to tickle hell! Someone help me! Shido decided to scare her one more time. Shido - GRRRAWWHAWWHAW!!!!!! Kotori - Uuuuhhhaaaaawwwa! (looks left, then right, then up and then at to Shido) Shido - Calm down it's me. Kotori - You...you sure? Shido - (in a deep vocie) I, being no harm to you. Yes, I'm Kotoori's big brother. Kotori - (feeling relieved) Whew! Ahahahaha. Few minutes later.. News report - A minor spacequake took place in the recently-liberated city of Osaka earlier this morning at 3:19AM local time. So far no casualties are reported. (cue 'Prelude') Shido - (Spacequakes, something that been shaking the planet many times over. 1983, the first one happened. For six months, continuous destruction has plagued everyone ever since, but, it was quiet, way quiet. For a few years, nothing happened, that is until 1999 when the Spacequake Disaster took place). Hey, Kotori, what are you having? Kotori - (while her eyes are glued to the TV and sucking a lollipop) You tell me. (mumbles quietly) This happened earlier than planned. Shido - (sensed that his sister is eating sweets) Hey, young lady! Kotori got shocked and abruptly stopped sucking the lollipop Shido - No sweets! Shido forcefully attempted to grab the lollipop away from his sister's mouth, but Kotori held a very tight grip. Shido - Fine, but just eat your breakfast in a while. Kotori - Okay Shido. I love you. Fifteen minutes later, a bus appeared at the front of the Itsuka residence. It was a shuttle bus to the CPAF-operated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, which now became a training center for newly-recruited pilots as well as for mercenaries. Shuttle driver - (rang the doorbell which alerted Kotori) Is Airman Itsuka here? Kotori - Yes, he's here. Shido! Shido - Yes, I'm coming. Kotori - Come back home alive Shido, promise? Shido - I will. Kotori - Great. Once you come home, We'll prepare to head back to Tenguu. I sure do miss home. Shido - If we can liberate it early. See you later. Kotori smiled. Shido boarded the bus and sat at a vacant window seat, seeing his sister wave her hands as the bus moved to the airbase. (0822 hrs. - Marine Corps Air Station Miramar) Shido and a few other rookie pilots stood up as they are assembled for a general announcement. CPAF officer - All right, gentlemen. You know why you are here. Pilots - Yes, sir! CPAF officer - Good, that's what I like to hear. We just launched took the fight to the RLF in the last 4 days and they are slowly getting desparate. Now Itsuka... Shido - Sir. CPAF officer - ...because of your squadron's fondness and due to the need of a single pilot, you will be assigned to the Japanese theatre of operations. That means you will be returning to your hometown of Tenguu City. You should be a little happy. Shido - Yes sir. (April 10, 2020, 0533 hrs. - Osaka International Airport, Osaka, Japan) At the airport, which was converted into an airbase for the duration of the operation to liberate Japan, Shido was checking his aircraft, a J35J Draken, for any sign of damage. After inspection, he headed to the crew mess for some breakfast. His squadron leader saw him, who was just finished with his own. Daniel - Hey, Shido. Shido - Oh! Hey, Daniel, sir, Daniel - Looks like you need something to drink. Anything wrong? Shido - No. Nothing sir. Daniel - Um...okay then. Grab some coffee for yourself. Shido - Thank you for the advice. Daniel - No problem, kid. The nickname, 'kid', was given to Shido after Ortara trained him in aerial combat during training. Amazed by his skill, he gave him and his fellow wingman, Michael McCloud, advice, which will be soon tested later on. Shido drank some coffee as advised by Daniel and it gave him some relief. Daniel - Now that you got better, I would like to tell you something. Shido - Go ahead, sir. Daniel - Listen, at exactly 0600 hrs., we will be already in the briefing room. Since you are a rookie, I will give you some set amount of targets to take out. The rest of us will handle the others, but we will cover you if needed. Shido - Thank you, sir. Just then, a black man in a uniform entered the mess. It was Michael. Michael - Looks like someone was giving our student some lessons. Daniel - Thanks for the complement, Michael. We have to give Shido the best support we can. Michael - When will he stand alone? Once he became an ace, nothing would stop him. Daniel - Only time will tell. (0600 hrs. - Briefing room) (cue 'Operation') Col. Olsen - All right, time to start the briefing. We got a new guy in here today but I'll have to cut the introduction a bit short. My name is Colonel Blake Olsen and I'm your commanding officer for the entire operation. As you know, Archangel Squadron is an elite force, specializing in difficult combat situations. Some of us like to call us 'demons'. I would rather prefer to calls us 'angels' at least. We are renowned by the whole CPAF after all. Anyway, HQ just sent Archangel Squadron a request for deployment. We are requested to fly air superiority over Tokyo airspace. Our ground forces are slowly suffering attacks from the air from enemy CAS planes. Your mission is to provide cover for the ground forces as they liberate the city from the RLF. This will be the first sortie for our rookie Airman Shido Itsuka, callsign 'Seirei'. Here is your emblem. Ortara and McCloud will be supporting you on this mission. Follow their instructions. During the mission, I will be acting as your AWACS officer, callsign 'Redwood'. I'll be expecting results, you hear? Dismissed. Part 2 (0921 hrs. - Tokyo Bay) South of the bay, the Archangel Squadron and their AWACS are approaching Area J4E, otherwise known as Tokyo. Redwood - AWACS Redwood to Archangel Team, proceed to Tokyo at bearing 355. Daniel - This is Archangel 1, roger. Seirei. Shido - This is Archnagel 3, roger. Daniel - Remember what we discussed at the hangar, only attack the designated targets for the time being. Michael - Some of those guys have better weaponry too, so your chances of attacking them alone is 32%. Shido - Is that really important? Daniel - The most important thing is that we will cover you if things go south. Shido - Roger, proceeding to continue the mission. Daniel - Good boy. Michael - Um, listen, Kid. Goldstar had some hard times when he flew with other colleagues in the past. Michael was referring to Daniel's troubled past. On many occasions during his early days as a pilot, he witnessed some of his friends and colleagues get shot down, some of which never returned to earth. Michael - By the way, Seirei, my callsign is 'Rhino'. Shido - Thanks, Rhino. Daniel - Hey, guys, check your radars. Immediately after Goldstar announced his findings, an Su-27 Flanker showing the blue number 001 flew past the four planes. Daniel - Look's like 'Angel' just appeared from the heavens. Redwood - IFF comfirms single aircraft, callsign 'Angel'. Shido -- 'Angel'? Michael - Yup. It's her alright. Moments later, the 'Angel', real name Origami Tobiichi, suddenly turned left and flew closely towards Shido. She then talks calmly on the radio. Origami - (some static) Itsuka, can you read me? Shido - What?! Michael - Did she just called your last name? Shido - Hey, listen. How did you know my name? Origami - Remember 5 years ago, the time we met? Daniel - Archangel 1 to Angel, try not to prolong the conversation. We have a job to do. Origami - Um, roger that, Archangel 1, proceeding to the mission at hand. We'll finish this later, Itsuka. Shido - Okay, then. Redwood - Area J4E at vector 355, on the nose. Fifteen A-10s detected, bearing 010, altitude 1500. You are cleared to engage. Daniel - Roger that, AWACS. Alright then, let's go. Michael - Archangel 2, engaging. Origami - Angel, engaging. Shido - Archangel 3, engaging. (cue 'Reprisal') The jets split up to their designated objectives. In the skies of Tokyo, aircraft from both sides continuously engage one another for air superiority. Redwood - Be advised. Bandits may use the skyscrapers to shield themselves. Try to minimize collateral damage. Also, the enemy has launched fighter jets for air cover. As the jets begin to engage, Goldstar armed his standard missile on one of the A-10s. While the enemy tries to shake his lock-on off, he fired the missile. Daniel - Archangel 1, fox 2! A few moments later, the missile hit the plane, damaging it to the point of inoperability. The pilot bailed out before the plane crashed. Daniel - This is Archangel 1, enemy plane down. On Michael's side, he found two A-10s bombing a CPAF unit. CPAF soldier - This is Echo Team, we are taking fire from enemy CAS! Requesting air cover! Michael - This is Archangel 2, roger. Just as he was about to shoot however, three MiG-29s got a missile lock on him and he began to turn hard to evade the lock on. A missile fired from one of the MiGs tried to shoot him down but it was a miss. He fired back and the MiGs were downed. RLF pilot - Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! I've been hit! Eject! (followed by heavy static) Michael - MiG-29 shot down. He took down the other pursuing fighters shortly after. He then proceeds to attack the A-10s which are flying low in order to shield themselves from a missile attack. They tried to use this advantage but once they ran out of room, they pulled up, effectively making themselves easy prey. Michael - Fox 3! The two A-10s exploded upon contact with the missile strikes. Michael - This is Archangel 2, enemy CAS planes shot down. CPAF soldier - Thanks for the support! Let's go people, keep moving! On the side of Shido and Origami, they began to shoot down a few other A-10s and escorts, some of which began attacking the other CPAF units. Shido - Archangel 3, Fox 2! Origami - Angel, Fox 2! A dogfight slowly turns fierce as the two planes go up against a large flight of RLF aircraft. On the ground, the CPAF ground forces slowly regained lost turf. CPAF soldier - This is Charlie Team, we have approached the Shinjuku district. Commencing sweep of the area. CPAF soldier - Approaching the perimeter of the National Diet Building. All units, commence attack! CPAF tank unit - Stand clear! We're moving out! RLF pilot - (after being hit)It's breaking apart! Few minutes later, the RLF planes were down by a combined force of just two allied planes. Shido - This is Archangel 3, enemy plane shot down. CPAF soldier - (under fire)Go, go, go! Head for that position! CPAF soldier - Copy! As soon as the skies are clear, the Diet Building was slowly being liberated. Origami - This is Angel, the enemy is now preparing for a tactical retreat. Continue sweep for any remaining aircraft. After a while, Tokyo appears to be set for complete liberation as the RLF began to withdraw from the area. Redwood - RLF soldiers are now on the run. Looks like Tokyo is free. Daniel - Did it, Shido. (catches his breath)Not bad for a rookie though. Michael - Looks like you can handle things. It just needs improvement. Shido - Thanks! The moment didn't last long. An unusually-sounding alarm rang in the AWACS plane. Redwood - What the?! Is that what I think it is?! CPAF commander - What is it, control? Redwood - All CPAF units, spacequake alarm has been sounded off! I repeat! Spacequake alarm has been sounded off! Daniel - Give us the location AWACS! Redwood - Transmitting data now! When the file was received, however, the location of the detected spacequake rang alarm bells among the four aces. Daniel - Shido...! Shido, get out of there, now! Shido - What?! Origami - Shido! Go!! It was too late. The spacequake was triggered and it hit the right rearward side of his plane. Shido - Ugh! I'm hit! He tried to regain control but it won't respond. Shido - Controls aren't responding! I'm punching out! Shido bailed out but he hit the ground a bit hard. The radio was filled with frantic calls as everyone began to know what happened. Redwood - Archangel 3 confirmed lost! Request SAR! Daniel - This is Archangel Squadron, we are patrolling ground zero. No sign of Archangel 3. Redwood - Roger. We are sending Kestrel Team now. Sending any available air units for recon. All Archangel units, RTB. Daniel - Goldstar, I copy. Part 3 (cue 'Silent') After his hard landing, which rendered him unconscious for a little while, Shido wakes up. The echoes of fire filled the air. Shido - Ugh, ugh! (takes off his parachute)What...just...happened?(checks his surroundings) He then grabbed hold of his sidearm and begins to move to the nearest CPAF-held area. Shido - Looks like a long way home. (cue 'Seirei') He then approaches the crater created by the spacequake moments ago. When he got close, he noticed something. He took cover and peeked. What he saw though surprised his eyes. A young lady wearing what looks like a purple-and-cream knight armor stands in the middle of ground zero. Shido - Is that...a girl?! (End)